Establishes the Eviction Diversion Pilot Program (the Program), consisting of specialized dockets within the existing structure of the general district courts for the cities of Danville, Hampton, Petersburg, and Richmond. The Program is initially established as a pilot program that has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2020, and that expires on July 1, 2023. The purpose of the Program is to reduce the number of evictions of low-income persons. Parties to an unlawful detainer action in participating jurisdictions will be directed to participate in the Pilot Program upon certain findings by the court. The Virginia Housing Commission (the Commission) shall request data from the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia for the evaluation of the Program's effectiveness and potential benefits and costs. The bill tasks the Commission with making recommendations for legislative action to the General Assembly, the Chairs of the Senate Committees on Finance, General Laws and Technology, and Courts of Justice, and the Chairs of the House Committees on Appropriations, Finance, General Laws, and Courts of Justice in time for the 2023 Session.
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Directs the State Board of Elections to revise its regulations for reviewing and processing candidate petitions. The regulations are required to provide processes for checking petition signatures that includes a method for determining if a petition signature belongs to an individual whose prior registration was canceled, for tracking information associated with candidate petitions, and for escalating cases of suspected fraud to an appropriate entity. The bill requires the State Board to promulgate these regulations on or before January 1, 2020.
Expresses the sentiment of the General Assembly in acknowledging with profound regret the existence and acceptance of lynching within the Commonwealth and calling for reconciliation among all Virginians. This resolution is a recommendation of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Commission.